DETROIT – Boston’s rookie first baseman Triston Casas homered and added an RBI double as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Sunday to take a three-game sweep immediately after they dropped three straight to Pittsburgh in their opening home stand.
“This is what we came here to do,” Casas said. “We knew we underperformed in (a three-game sweep at) Pittsburgh, and we couldn’t let that happen again. The offense was great, the pitching was great and so was the bullpen. This is how we are capable of playing.”
Boston starter Kutter Crawford (1-1) allowed one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
“Kutter did what we need, which is what we got from the starters in all three games, and the bullpen was terrific,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Triston put two really good swings on the ball and helped us win the game.”
Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall, hitting .455 with four homers and 14 RBI, left in the ninth after injuring his left wrist while diving for Spencer Torkelson’s bloop single.
Duvall, who had surgery on the same wrist in 2022, was having X-rays after the game. Cora said the team was still waiting for results.
Rob Refsnyder reached base three times, scored once and drove in a run for the Red Sox, who outscored Detroit 24-9 in the series.
Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his second save. Detroit loaded the bases with one out, but Zach McKinstry flied out and Akil Baddoo struck out.
“We kept fighting all the way, and we had some chances late in the game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re still chasing a little bit and that keeps coming back to haunt us. We have to get more balls into play.”
Matthew Boyd (0-1) yielded two runs on five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings as Detroit fell to 2-7.
“I could have been a lot better,” said Boyd, who hasn’t gotten out of the fifth inning in either start this season. “I just had a couple spurts where I lost my rhythm and delivery.”
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first with some help from Boston’s defense. With two outs, shortstop Kiké Hernandez threw wide to first on Javy Baez’s infield single, and Kerry Carpenter reached when the third strike got away from catcher Connor Wong. Torkelson followed with an RBI single.
Casas tied it with an RBI double in the second, and the Red Sox took the lead in the fifth when Wong doubled and scored on Refsnyder’s single.
The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead in the seventh. Refsnyder walked, went to third on a single by Rafael Devers and scored on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly.
The Tigers had runners on second and third against Chris Martin in the eighth, but Carpenter grounded out to first.
Casas led off the ninth with a long homer to right-center.